How to “Think” in Chinese: Understanding the Differences Between 想, 觉得, 认为 and 以为

As you start to build a wider vocabulary in Chinese, you’re bound to encounter words that share the same general translation in English but have widely different nuances in meaning and usage. It can be difficult to differentiate between these synonyms because their precise meaning may not have a one-to-one English equivalent.

For example, the words 想 (xiǎng), 觉得 (juéde), 认为 (rènwéi), and 以为 (yǐwéi) all mean “think”, but did you know that they can express widely different levels of sureness and subjectivity? The verb 以为 can even imply that someone believes something that is factually false, which is a very tricky thing to translate into simple English.

Here, we’ve provided a detailed overview of each of these four verbs, followed by a table that you can use to compare and contrast their different uses quickly. At the end, you can test your knowledge with a quick quiz to make sure that you’ve fully grasped when to use which verb.

Overview: The four main verbs meaning “think” in Chinese

想 (xiǎng)

Classification	Details	Examples
Structure	Pronoun/Name of a person + 想 + other elements	我想他说的是对的。(Wǒ xiǎnɡ tā shuōde shì duì de.)I think what he said is right.
Collocations	1. You can use the duplicate form 想想 and quantifier complements such as 一下儿(yí xià’r) and 一会儿(yí huì’r) to emphasize the act of thinking something over. 2. You can also use the demonstrative pronouns 这样(zhèyànɡ) or 这么(zhème) to avoid repeating longer phrases and add emphasis to your reply.	1. 让我想想。(Rànɡ wǒ xiǎnɡxianɡ.)Let me think.让我想一下儿/一会儿。(Rànɡ wǒ xiǎnɡ yíxià’r/yí huì’r.) Let me think for a while. 2. 你怎么能这样想。(Nǐ zěnme nénɡ zhèyànɡ xiǎnɡ.) How could you think like this?
Negation	You can use 不 or 没 to negate 想. When using 不 to negate the present or future, it’s common to use the phrase 不这样不/这么想. When using 没 to negate the past, it’s common to use the phrase 没这样/没这么想过 or the structure 没想过/到+(other elements).	1. ——我想他们不会来了。(Wǒ xiǎnɡ tāmen bú huì lái le.) I don’t think they will come. ——我不这样/不这么想。他们肯定会来的。(Wǒ bú zhèyànɡ/zhème xiǎnɡ. Tāmen kěndìnɡ huì lái de.) I don’t think so. They will surely come. 2. 我没想过/到他会来参加我的生日聚会。(Wǒ méi xiǎnɡ ɡuò tā huí lái cānjiā wǒ de shēnɡrì jùhuì.) I didn’t think he would come to my birthday party.

Note: 想 can also be used to express personal desires or plans, which is often how it is first introduced at the beginner level.

For example:

我想去商店买一些水果。(Wǒ xiǎnɡ qù shānɡdiàn mǎi yìxiē shuǐɡuǒ.)
I want to go to the shop to buy some fruit.

觉得 (juéde)

Classification	Details	Examples
Structure	Pronoun/Name of a person + 觉得 + other elements	我觉得他没错。(Wǒ juéde tā méi cuò.)I don’t think he is wrong.
Collocations	You can use the demonstrative pronouns 这样(zhèyànɡ) or 这么(zhème)” to replace longer phrases and add emphasis. To form a negative sentence using a demonstrative pronoun, use 不这样/不这么觉得”.	——我觉得明天他可能会迟到。(Wǒ juéde mínɡtiān tā kěnénɡ huì chídào.) I think he will be late tomorrow. ——我不这样/不这么觉得。(Wǒ bú zhèyànɡ/ zhème juéde.) I don’t think so.
Negation	You can use 不 or 没 to negate, but they have some differences in emphasis: 1. 不 is stronger than 没 and shows a higher degree of negation. 没 also implies some uncertainty in the speaker’s tone. 2. 没 is typically used to negate the past, while 不 is used to negate the present and future.	1. 我不觉得他是正确的。(Wǒ bù juéde tā shì zhènɡquè de.) I don’t think he is right. 2. 我没觉得他说的是对的。(Wǒ méi juéde tā shuōde shì duì de.) I do not think that what he said was right. 3.  ——你之前不是觉得他很帅吗？(Nǐ zhīqián bú shì juéde tā hěn shuài mɑ？) Didn’t you think he was handsome before? ——你听谁说的，我没觉得他很帅啊。(Nǐ tīnɡ shuí shuō de， wǒ méi juéde tā hěn shuài ā.) Who told you that? I did not think he was handsome.

认为 (rènwéi)

Classification	Details	Examples
Structure	1. Pronoun/Name of a person/essay/meeting + 认为 + other elements. 2. 被(bèi)（……）认为…… can be used to indicate that a piece of information is widely agreed upon or considered a certain way.	1. 我认为这件事应该再讨论讨论。(Wǒ rènwéi zhè jiàn shì yīnɡɡāi zài tǎolùn tǎolun.) I think we should discuss this matter again. 2. 听音乐被认为是一个学习汉语的好方法之一。(Tīnɡ yīnyuè bèi rènwéi shì yíɡè xuéxí hànyǔ de hǎo fānɡfǎ zhī yī.) Listening to music is recognized as one of the best ways to study Chinese. 3.文章认为保护地球，人人有责。(Wénzhānɡ rènwéi bǎohù dìqiú, rénrén yǒu zé.)This article believes that protecting the earth is everyone’s responsibility.
Collocations	1. You can use 坚决 (jiān jué) or 坚持 (jiān chí) to emphasize a firm opinion. 2. You can also use the demonstrative pronouns 这样 (zhèyànɡ) or 这么 (zhème) to emphasize a standpoint or replace longer phrases after the verb	1. 他坚决认为公司不应该采取方案A。(Tā jiānjué rènwéi ɡōnɡsī bù yīnɡɡāi cáiqǔ fānɡ’àn A.) He insists that our firm should not follow Plan A. 2. 我不这样/不这么认为。我的观点和他的正好相反。(Wǒ bú zhèyànɡ/zhème rèn wéi. Wǒ de ɡuāndiǎn hé tāde zhènɡhǎo xiānɡfǎn.) I don’t think so. My opinion is the exact opposite of his.
Negation	You can use 不 or 没 to negate.	——我认为我们应该遵守经理的命令。(Wǒ rènwéi wǒmen yīnɡɡāi zūn shǒu jīnɡlǐ de mìnɡlìnɡ.) I think we should obey the manager’s orders. ——我不这样/不这么认为。(Wǒ búzhèyànɡ/zhème rènwéi.) I don’t think so.

以为 (yǐwéi)

Classification	Details	Examples
Structure	1. Pronoun/Name of a person + 以为 + other elements 2. 让(rànɡ)……以为……	1. 我以为他不想去，其实他一直就想去。(Wǒ yǐwéi tā bù xiǎnɡ qù, qíshí tā yìzhí jiù xiǎnɡ qù.) I thought he didn’t want to go, but actually he had wanted to go all along. 2. 他这样做让我以为他想去中国。(Tā zhèyànɡ zuò rànɡ wǒ yǐwéi tā xiǎnɡ qù Zhōnɡɡuó.) What he did made me think that he wanted to go to China.
Collocations	You can use 还(hái) and 一直(yìzhí) to add emphasis, creating the fixed phrases “还以为” (hái yǐ wéi) and “一直以为” (yìzhí yǐwéi).	1. 我还以为他不会来参加我的生日聚会了呢。(Wǒ hái yǐwéi tā bú huì lái cānjiā wǒde shēnɡrì jùhuì le ne.) I thought he wouldn’t come to my birthday party, but he did. 2. 我们一直以为他是中国人，但实际上他是韩国人。(Wǒmen yìzhí yǐwéi tā shì Zhōnɡɡuó rén，dàn shíjìshànɡ tā shì Hánɡuó rén.) We always thought he was Chinese, but in fact, he is Korean.
Negation	You cannot use 不 or 没 to negate 以为.

Comparison Chart: 想, 觉得, 认为, and 以为

	想	觉得	认为	以为
Part of speech	Verb	Verb	Verb	Verb
Explanation	Use 想 (xiǎng) to express your personal opinions or make subjective statements.	Use 觉得 (juéde) to express your personal feelings or make subjective statements.	Use 认为 (rènwéi) to express a judgment based on careful analysis and thought.	Use 以为 (yǐwéi) to express a subjective judgment that is contrary to a fact.
Subjective or Objective	More subjective	More subjective	Fairly objective	Subjective
Tone	Neutral	Neutral	Quite sure	Unsure
Formal or not	Casual	Casual	Quite formal	Casual
Doer	Usually people	Usually people	Can be used to express someone’s thoughts or to describe the standpoint of a specific organization, article, study, etc.	Usually people
Object	More focus on general things.	More focus on general things.	Focus on something important or scientific, or general things.	More focus on general things.

Final Quiz: Test your understanding

Fill in the blanks with the correct verb.

1. 我 ________去公园散步。
(Wǒ ________ qù gōng yuán sàn bù.)
I want to go for a walk in the park.

2. 你 ________吃点儿什么？
(Nǐ ________ chī diǎn er shén me?)
What do you want to eat?

3. 我 ________今天很累。
(Wǒ ________ jīn tiān hěn lèi.)
I feel very tired today.

4. 你 ________这个计划怎么样？
(Nǐ ________ zhè ge jì huà zěn me yàng?)
What do you think of this plan?

5. 他 ________去看电影。
(Tā ________ qù kàn diàn yǐng.)
He wants to go watch a movie.

6. 她 ________这是个玩笑，但其实不是。
(Tā ________ zhè shì ge wán xiào, dàn qíshí bùshì.)
She thought this was a joke, but it’s not.

7. 我 ________你已经完成了作业，原来还没有。
(Wǒ ________ nǐ yǐ jīng wán chéng le zuò yè, yuánlái hái méiyǒu.)
I thought you had already finished your homework, but it turns out you haven’t.

8. 我 ________你会喜欢这本书。
(Wǒ ________ nǐ huì xǐ huān zhè běn shū.)
I think you will like this book.

9. 我 ________你在开玩笑。
(Wǒ ________ nǐ zài kāi wán xiào.)
I thought you were joking.

10. 我们 ________他会按时到达。
(Wǒ men ________ tā huì àn shí dào dá.)
We believe he will arrive on time.

Key:

1. 想
2. 想
3. 觉得
4. 觉得 / 认为
5. 想
6. 以为
7. 以为
8. 觉得 / 认为
9. 以为
10. 认为

Choose the correct option.

1. I think this is a good idea.

A) 我以为这是个好主意。
B) 我认为这是个好主意。

2. I thought he was coming today.

A) 我觉得他今天会来。
B) 我认为他今天会来。
C) 我以为他今天会来。

Key：

1. B
2. C